This is an Old and New World of Darkness Crossover. I guess I should include the normal disclaimer. I do not own the setting and just have had fun writing a little fan fiction in the wonderful setting they have created. Be well.
The Marble Corridor.
It was dark, not dark as when a lightbulb had gone out, not dark as in the forest at night, but simply, dark, as in nothing. The only thing there was a corroidor, an long corridor of white marble that shone whit an inner light its whiteness a beacon in the absolute darkness. Chantelle slowly desnended the corridor, like she had done a million times before, soon now the darkness would begin to desend upon her, bringing insane terror and Chantelle would flee, flee for her life down the dimly lit corridor unthil she treatched the wall, the wall that was the end of her mind prison, the darkness would find her, and it would all being anew. How long she had been in this hell Chantelle did not know, how long she would remain, was equaly unknown, perhaps this was all theres was, perhaps all that had ever exsisted was this, the corridor, herself and the darkness. No, she must not think like that, she must not forget, her only hope of ever getting out was if she rememberd, if she knew who she was and that this place, this hellhole was a fabrication of her mind, a creation of her Avatar, nothing more. Chantelle knew she was in Quiet, trapped in a mindscape. Paradox had sendt her here, the last line of defence her Soul had to protect her fragile mortal mind against the rage of the power she had atracted, but somtime she lost faith, was she actualy on the outside, in the real world, dreaming she was here, or had she always been here, dreaming she existed in the outside world, would there ever be anything ele for her than panich flight down a marble corridor.
Chantelle hugged her little knitted bolero jacket closer to her body, she could feel it now, the darkness, coming for her again. In the back of her mind ran the same old chant. "I failed, I falied. If only I had reatched them in time, now Cara is dead becouse of me!" But who was Cara, who had she failed, surly this place was not a just punishment for some transgression. In flashes it fly beforeher eyes, the fight, the Thecnocrats, Caras torso exploding forward in a spray of blood and Primium bullets, yes, this was a just punishment for she had failed to save her firned, if only she had been quiker, managed to run faster, if only she had gotten there in time. Now Cara was dead and not all the magick Chantelle could summon could bring her cabal sister back to life. Chantelle begun to run, tears of rage, fear and shame running down her cheeks, she haded this so, she wanted to go home, but there was no way out.
The darkness was closer now, hunting her, lusting for her, when it found her it would consume her, sending her back to the corridor so this torture could begin again, it almost had her now, almost, almost to the wall...but waith, that was new! A door, a smal door, a door to somplace else. Chantelle stop her paniced flight in wonder, a way out perhaps, but how, how could that be...or perhaps it was not a way out at all. Chantelle could se a twisted landscape byond the half opend protal, some other mage in quiet perhaps, another lost soul like herself. Chantelle had heard tales of magi managing to cross over into anothers mindscape, it was dangerous to be sure, who was to know the other mage might be more insane than she herself was, more deeply sunk down in his own dispair. But anything was better than one more round against the coridor and the darkness, even should the situation be worce, at least there would be change, and whit thant in mind, and an hope she would not live to regret those words, Chantelle pushed the door copletly open and fled into the other mindsacpe, just before the darkness could again claim her.
Chantelle looked around, shooked, this did not look like a mages mindscape, it was so static, so full of mindless terror, everything moved like if in jello. The place was cold and dead and frightening. Carefully Chantelle pressed forward, eager to find the other mage, eager to find company, and yet hesitent, what mind would cook up this nightmare?
She found the owner of the mindscape few moments later, it was a man, a dark haired handsome man whit a bony and strong body. He lay in a fetal position, holding his hands over his head, whispering in fear. Grotesqe men and women nearly danced around him, torturing him, killing him, and then the whole thing started again, the same story whit just a slightly different play. The figures around the young man, his friends, betraying him, stabbing him, hurting him and killing him, it was horrible. Then sudderly there was a change in things, the man on the ground curled up even thigther, moaning "nooo" weakly. Nothing realy changed but Chantelle got the distict feeling that the ovner of the mindscape of witch she found herself a guest was dying, somthing on the outside was killing him. Chantelle watched the horrible sence, the man seamned to slowly catch fire, slowly being eaten by a boundless heat. And in that minute Chantelle made a desition, she would not sit by and watch this you man die, she would do somthing. She had failed to save Cara, she would nto fail again. Whit determination in her step the young mage walked towards the dying man and heldt out her hand to him. "Come on, I will help you, I know the way out." She said, and she was suprised to discover that she did, she knew how to get out of this hell. The young man looked at her in fear, but he did as she said, perhaos out of desperation. He took her hand and let himself be dragged to his feet. "This way, hurry." Chantelle yelled and dragged the young man whit her, she knew they were running out of time. Then suderly there it was, the exit, a most brilliant portal of light, and by helping somone else so she could let go of her horrible guilt over failing Cara, Chantelle had the key to escape. "Be well my friend." Chantellde said before she first showed the young man into the portal and then followed herself. The last thing she heard in her quiet was the nightmarish shapes crying out. "No stay whit us Michael, we are not done whit you yet." And then screaming as the nightmare ended upon its creators awakening.
Chantelle opend her eyes, the light in the room was dim, day was breaking in the east the the birds was just begining to sing. The young mage found herself sitting in a chair, Martin, another of her cable members looking at her in shook, a spoonfull of porrage he was aboute to feed to his previously catatonic cabal sister still clotched in his left hand. Finaly the amge got his voice back. "Chantelle, thank god you are coming out of it, we belived you would go maruder for sure. Two years, and no change, you just sat there, stearing into thing, your mind somwere else, and now, now you are back whit us." Martin set the spoon down and hugged the younger mage to him. Chantelle was still confused but let maring drag her into his arms. "Michael" She whisperd "Michael, there was another mage, he was in trubbel, he is the reason I got out of the quiet...you must find him, he might be hurt." Martin took Chantelle by the sholders and held her at arms lengt looking at her worrid. "But there is no mage named Michael that is in Quiet, or have been lately in this Tribunal, you are just confused my dear, she here, lay down, reast, all will seam clearer in a little while. Chantelle let herself be lead to the bed, but she knew he was real, Michael was real, her saving him, and in turned saved her and she would find him, that she promised herself, she would find him.
Michael awoke whit a start, his body felt like it was on fire, and looking at how light the sky had become, it quite possible was. But where was he, how had he gotten here. Michael shiverd, the attack...the stake...he looked down and noticed a wooded shaft sticking out between broken ribs. Quikly he reatched up whit his hand and pulled it out. How the hell had he managed to wake up whit that in there, it was inpossible! Michael got to his feet and ran, he had to find cover, among the threes the found a huge pile of fallen leaves, it would do, it would ahve to do. As he dug himself down, and the cold darkness soothed his burned body michael rememberd...the girl, in his nightmare, a beautiful, dark skinned girl, she had woken him up...but she was just a part of his dreams, wasnet she? She could not be real...but then, how did he explain awakening from torpor even whit a stake in his harth, she had to have been real, and just before the death sleep of day claimed him, Michael wowed to find her, no matter what, he would find the girl who had saved him...